As we kick off Mental Health Week which runs from may 4th to the 10th, we pause to take a look at some of the people and organizations in the Ottawa Valley who have dedicated themselves to better mental health awareness and thus better overall well being.
One such individual is Christine Harrison from Focus Forward Health whose 680 Pembroke Street East address will be the newest brick and mortar addition to their Kanata and Stittsville locations and is slated to open this month. Christine, who has been at the forefront of mental health services for well over 12 years, says that the name Focus Forward is meant to imply an approach to mental health that encompasses the entire individual and not just the mind:
They provide integrated mental health and wellness care that brings together psychotherapy, counselling, and assessment with support in lifestyle, nutrition, and women’s health. Harrison says that her multidisciplinary team delivers personalized care for stress, burnout, performance challenges, and life transitions, serving individuals, couples, and families both in person and virtually across Canada.
Harrison knows that good mental health is an all encompassing challenge that cannot be achieved without a well rounded approach to how one lives their lives.
One of the biggest challenges mental health specialists face, says Harrison, is the ongoing stigma surrounding asking for help. This is especially true of the older generations who were taught to “grin and bear it” and less so for the younger set who are becoming more and more amenable to reaching out when they feel it’s needed.
Harrison says that there is really no such this as a one size fits all all approach to therapy and their services are tailored to the need of the individual. Sometimes more than a frank one on one conversation is required, she says.
One of the nicest things about being a private clinic ,says Harrison is the fact that they have the adaptability that larger systemic organizations lack because of their size.
For more information on Focus Froward and their many services, please click on the link below.
(Written By: Richard Evans)
